Former Lima probation officer sentenced to 7 1/2 years for sex charges

Aug. 8—LIMA — Former Lima Municipal Court probation officer Dexter Thompson was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison Thursday for two counts of sexual battery and one count of gross sexual imposition in the Allen County Common Pleas Court.

Thompson will also have to register as a tier III sex offender and verify his information every 90 days for life.

A handful of letters in support of Thompson and a letter from Thompson himself were submitted to Judge Jeffrey Reed to review before deciding the sentencing. Crime Victim Services also read a statement from one of the victims.

Reed could have sentenced Thompson to a maximum of 11 1/2 years in prison. Allen County Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Carp said the state wanted to see Thompson sentenced to 9 years.

Carp added Thompson doesn't have to deal with the aftermath of his acts, the probation office does, and its workers have to try to make people feel safe again coming to the office by doing things differently.

Thompson's attorney, Christopher Bucio, said Thompson made positive impacts on the youth in the community before this as a football and basketball coach and during his time working at Lima City Schools, but "he lost his way along the way, and I think my client acknowledges that."

Before sentencing, Thompson said, "I accept my responsibility and the role I played in this. I apologize to the probationers, I apologize to my family, my loved ones. God will prevail for me, I know he will. Everything said, I may not agree with it, but I know the truth, and God knows the truth, and I will prevail."

In June, a jury found Thompson, 53, guilty on four counts of sexual battery and one count of gross sexual imposition and not guilty on two misdemeanor counts of public indecency for having improper sexual conduct with probationers.

The jury heard testimony from three victims and two of Thompson's former bosses, Lima Police Det. Sgt. Jason Garlock and Thompson.

The victims recounted different abuse from Thompson.The first victim said she consented to having sex with Thompson once in his office and once at her apartment.

Thompson reached out to the second victim through Facebook messages for three months, and she said he grabbed her, hugged her, kissed her and brought her hand down to his penis without permission at the end of one of her probation appointments.

The third victim said Thompson showed her his penis two times in his office and asked her to meet him at a Lima hotel. This testimony related to the two counts on which the jury didn't convict Thompson.

All three victims said they were scared of the consequences of speaking out since they thought they could get sent to jail, and all of them confirmed they don't know each other.

Thompson addressed going to the first victim's apartment after hours and on a weekend and said he wanted to address her flirting with him and the rumors that she was selling prescription drugs. He said he tried to talk to the victim in the lobby of the apartment, but the victim had him come into her apartment so no one else overheard their conversation. He said he was only there for three or four minutes.

In regards to the months of Facebook messages he sent to the second victim, he said they bonded over cancer because the victim had a previous cancer scare. After talking about their experiences with cancer, he said she hugged him and then they kissed. He denied the part where the victim testified about touching his penis.

The jury was read all of the messages. Some messages Thompson wrote through Facebook to the second victim included "If you ever allowed me to be on top of you kissing you, I wouldn't want to get up off of you," "you're making me really want you" and "I want to do some things with you and to you."

Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.